Back here at home, violence on the big screen is a source of a big controversy. "Zero dark thirty," about the hunt of osama bin laden, is now being criticized by the head of the cia itself. Abc's muhammad lila is on that story. When was the last time you saw bin laden? Reporter: An edge-of-the-seat thriller that's now an edge-of-the-seat controversy. "Zero dark thirty" re-creates the manhunt for osama bin laden. We'll never find him. Reporter: Cramming a ten-year search into a 2 1/2-hour thriller. While fans are calling it a hit. What did you think of the film? Loved it. Reporter: Critics are on the attack. In a rare public statement, acting cia director michael morell accuses the film of taking significant artistic license. Emphasizing it's not a realistic portrayal of the facts. I'm not your friend. I'm not going to help you. I'm going to break you. Reporter: His biggest attack, the moh interrogation scenes. Suggesting torture played a key role in finding sblg sbl. The cia acknowledges that some intelligence did come from those so-called enhanced techniques, but there were many other sources as well. To portray this as our only way to get intelligence does a disservice to this country. And the american people, period. Reporter: For their part, the creators say it's not a documentary and it's not supposed to be. In an interview with abc news chief gbal affairs correspondent martha raddatz, they say while some dialogue is exaggerated, it's based on authentic information. It was all based on firsthand accounts. It felt very vivid and very immediate, which is very exciting. The cia's criticism comes on the heels of similar criticism from a group of senators. INCLUDING john McCain who himself was subjected to torture as a p.O.W. In vietnam. As for the movie it's critically acclaimed and it has been nominated for four golden globes. Muhammad lila, thank you very much. We appreciate it. And co up here on the

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.